Salsa Verde Pork

I fell in love with salsa verde last week, and went searching for some recipes that use it. I found one at Simply Recipes for Salsa Verde Carnitas. My Spanish was never perfect, but I'm pretty sure carnitas means little meats. That doesn't sound so great in English, but it sounds so delicious in Spanish! (I learned Spanish from my darling 4 & 5 year old students when I taught Kindergarten in Mexico. If I concentrate really hard, I think I remember how to say, "Don't put that up your nose!" It came in handy on more than one occasion. And of course I can sing along to Ricky Martin songs, which still comes in handy to this day.)

I'm trying this in the crockpot, with a few adjustments to suit the stuff I have in the pantry. Here's my version:

SALSA VERDE CARNITAS
3 lb. pork butt (pork shoulder)
1 tbsp. Tex-Mex Rub and/or Cuban Seasoning
2 c. salsa verde
1 onion, finely chopped
1 c. chicken broth
1 tbsp. fresh chopped oregano
1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro
salt, to taste
corn tortillas, heated and softened
1 avocado, diced

Trim any fat off the roast, and then rub with spices and put in crockpot. Turn on high for 1 hour. Then pour in salsa verde, onion, broth, and oregano. Turn heat down to low for 5 hours (till internal temperature is 160 F.) Remove roast from crockpot and put it in a roaster. Shred meat with two forks, and roast at 400 F for 20-25 minutes, until all parts are brown and crispy. Meanwhile, pour liquid from the crockpot into a saucepan, skimming off the fat. Bring to a boil and reduce to 1 1/2 cups. Pour over meat and stir in cilantro and salt. Serve over tortillas and rice and top with avocado.
I didn't imagine it will be overly pretty - remember, the recipe translates to "Green Sauce Little Meats". But the house smells amazing right now, so who cares what it looks like! And actually it all came together fairly nicely!

I gave the kids a tortilla with rice, some peas, and the pork after it had been roasted, but before it had been smothered in salsa verde and cilantro. They loved it. But they were missing out, because honestly, after you put the finishing touches on it, it's absolutely delicious!!